Page 799 - Law Crime
Dubai court upholds order to consider possibility of extraditing Christian Michel to India
A top Dubai court Monday upheld a lower court's order to consider the possibility of extraditing British national and alleged middleman Christian Michel, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal case, according to media reports. Michel, 54, is currently behind bars in Dubai since he was arrested and sent into custody pending the legal and judicial procedure in the UAE. The Dubai Court of Cassation dismissed the two objections filed by Michel's lawyers and upheld the Appellate Court's decision to consider the possibility of extraditing him to the competent Indian authorities. Judge Abdelaziz Al Zarouni, who headed a bench, pronounced the decision in the presence of member judges Musabeh Thaaloub, Mostafa Al Shinawi, Mahmoud Sultan and another judge, the Khaleej Times reported. However, there was no immediate official confirmation about the court's ruling in New Delhi. On Monday, Michel's lawyer Abdul Moneim submitted ...
Law Secy assured "full protection" to Sana, CBI official alleges in SC; claim rejected as fake
Senior CBI officer M K Sinha Monday alleged in the Supreme Court that Union Law Secretary Suresh Chandra conveyed a message offering government's "full protection" to businessman Sathish Babu Sana, complainant in the bribery case involving CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, a claim dismissed as "fake" by the bureaucrat. Sinha, who was probing the FIR against Asthana, the CBI's number 2, and important cases like the Punjab National Bank(PNB) scam involving Nirav Modi, made the allegation in his petition that sought urgent hearing for quashing his transfer to Nagpur. He has alleged that Sana had contacted Chandra, who was then in London, and the law secretary had conveyed to him the message of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha that the government was willing to protect him (Sana) in CBI cases. Sana, besides being a complainant in the bribery case against Asthana, is also a key witness in the other corruption case against controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi. He claimed that Sana's ...
Student killed in Gurugram's school: SC orders status quo on JJB proceedings
The Supreme Court Monday stayed the proceedings of the Gurugram Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) which was to consider afresh whether a teenager accused of killing a seven-year-old boy inside a private school should be tried as an adult in the case. The JJB was directed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on October 11 to decide afresh in six weeks whether the teenager was to be tried as an adult in the case. A bench of justices R F Nariman and Navin Sinha said there would be status quo on the proceedings of the JJB and posted the matter for further hearing on January 21. The bench also issued notices to the teenager and the CBI and sought their response on a petition filed by the father of the victim through advocate Sushil Tekriwal. The father had challenged the high court's October 11 order on the ground that it was illegal and contrary to established procedure of the law. The high court had allowed the petition of the accused, filed in July, challenging the decision of the JJB to try
Three persons arrested for raping a minor girl in Nawada
Three persons have been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl, the video of which has gone viral in Bihar's Nawada district, police said on Monday. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) (Headquarters) Amritendu Shekhar Thakur said that five persons allegedly raped a minor girl in a village located under the jurisdiction of Narhat police station three months ago. They also made a film of the incident and had been blackmailing the girl for past three months on the basis of the video which these people made viral Sunday evening, the ASP said. Prima facie, the incident was found to be true, he said adding that out of the five, police arrested three persons on Monday while raids are being conducted to nab the other two persons. Those arrested are- Rahul Kumar, the main accused, Ankit Kumar and Ramesh Vishwakarma, he added. An FIR has been lodged with the women's police station on the basis of victim's statement, the ASP said adding that after recording the victim's .
AIADMK workers serving life term in bus burning case set free
Three AIADMK men, serving life sentence for setting ablaze a bus in Dharmapuri that killed three girls of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in 2000, were released prematurely from the Vellore Central Prison Monday. A Nedunchezhian, G Ravindran and C Muniappan were released from the Central Prison around noon, a top official told PTI. The state government prematurely released the convicts in commemmoration of the birth centenary celebrations (2017-18) of former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran, also AIADMK founder. In connection with the birth centenary celebrations, Chief Minister K Palaniswami had announced in December 2017 that his government would take steps for the premature release of life convicts. The release contemplated was for those who had served upto ten years of imprisonment on "humanitarian grounds within the framwork of law and prison rules," he said. Guidelines were subsequently framed by the government for conisdering the cases of life convicts for .
Former DMK MP misses flight after carrying bullets by mistake
Former DMK MP S R Jayadurai was briefly detained at the airport here after five rounds of live bullets were found in his baggage while on his way to Chennai, police said Monday. Jayadurai, detained for questioning Sunday night after officials found the bullets, said he was having arms licence and had carried the bullets by mistake, they said. He showed a copy of the licence, but officials sought the original as per rules. He left for Chennai Monday morning after producing the original licence, police said. According to rules, an air passenger can carry licenced revolver or pistol and ammunition in checked-in baggage after declaring them and producing valid licence.
SC dismisses PILs for FIRs against persons named in #MeToo
The Supreme Court Monday dismissed two petitions seeking registration of FIRs and prosecution of those accused of sexual misconduct and assault by women during the #MeToo movement in the country. It made clear it that the issues "would be considered by the court in the event an aggrieved person moves" court. A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph dismissed two separate PILs filed by advocate M L Sharma and Mahesh Kumar Tiwari on the issue of sexual misconduct and assault on women, who have now come out in open and named the accused. At the outset, the bench questioned the locus of Sharma and said it can understand if a victim moves the court with her grievances and asserted it cannot entertain a PIL. "Why 32 (under Article 32, a PIL can straightaway be filed in the Supreme Court)," the bench asked. "Heard the petitioner appearing in-person and perused the relevant material. The issues highlighted would be considered by the court in the ...
AgustaWestland case: Top UAE court approves India's extradition request for British 'middleman'
The Dubai Cassation Court on Monday sanctioned the extradition of British businessman Christian James Michel to India, where he is wanted over charges of money laundering, bribery and fraud in connection with the Rs 3700 crore AgustaWestland chopper case.The 54-year-old Briton had earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him by the Indian authorities, Gulf News reported. Abdul Aziz Abdullah, the presiding judge of the United Arab Emirates' apex court's upheld the extradition decision, which was earlier sanctioned by an appellate court.The Indian authorities had requested Dubai Public Prosecution for Michel's extradition in February 2017, following which he was arrested by Dubai PoliceThe Briton's legal counsel argued that India's extradition request was not legitimate and that it bypassed due legal procedures."The extradition request was lodged by India's Ministry of External Affairs and it should have been lodged by the Indian Home Ministry," Michel's lawyer Abdul ...
Prosecutors demand life for Dortmund bus bomber
German prosecutors asked a court Monday to sentence a man accused of an April 2017 bomb attack on Borussia Dortmund's team bus to life in prison. Defendant Sergej Wenergold committed almost 30 attempted murders by attacking the bus with three improvised bombs as it left the team's hotel, lead prosecutor Carsten Dombert said. He also faces charges of causing an explosion and two counts of causing serious injury, with judges expected to deliver their verdict next week. The Russian-born German citizen has admitted to placing the bombs, but claims he did not aim to kill anyone -- each contained up to a kilogramme (2.2 pounds) of a hydrogen peroxide mixture and dozens of metal bolts. Prosecutors say he in fact aimed to kill as many players as possible, hoping to profit financially after buying so-called put options -- essentially a bet on the club's share price falling. Wenergold left letters supposed to hint at an Islamist terrorist background at the scene, as well as far left or far ...
Muzaffarpur shelter home case: bail pleas of two accused rejected
A court here Monday rejected the bail pleas of two suspended officials of the Bihar Social Welfare department who are currently facing trial in the shelter home sex scandal case. Special POCSO judge R P Tiwari dismissed the bail applications of Ravi Raushan and Rosy Rani both of whom had formerly been posted here as assistant directors of the district child protection unit. Raushan was arrested in July by the Muzaffarpur Police which was then investigating the scandal that involved the now-sealed shelter home situated in the Sahu Road locality. Rani was held in September by the CBI, which took over the probe in the high-profile scandal. More than a dozen people arrested in connection with the case, including prime accused Brajesh Thakur, who is lodged in a Patiala jail, deposed before the court through video conferencing. Rani and Raushan are lodged at the Beur Central Jail in Patna. Others are at Muzaffarpur jail. Thakur, who headed the NGO which ran the shelter home for minor ...
Aadhaar data breach: HC grants more time to UIDAI to file response
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday allowed the Unique Identification Authority of India's (UIDAI) plea seeking more time to file a response on a plea seeking exemplary damages for the losses caused due to leakage of Aadhaar data.
Saudi King Salman praises judiciary amid Khashoggi fallout
Saudi King Salman heaped praise on the kingdom's judiciary Monday, in his first public remarks since critic Jamal Khashoggi's murder tipped the country into one of its worst international crises. The public prosecutor last week exonerated powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of involvement in the murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, but the CIA reportedly concluded that he ordered the assassination. The prosecutor called for the death penalty against five men as it announced indictments against 11 people and said a total of 21 individuals were in custody in connection with the killing. "The kingdom was founded on Islamic principles of justice and equality, and we are proud of the efforts of the judiciary and the public prosecution and the performance of the job entrusted to them," the king said in his annual address to the Shura Council, a top advisory body. The 82-year-old monarch did not directly address the murder of The Washington Post columnist in his ...
Two women killed as truck runs over them in Jhalawar
Two women on the way to their home were crushed to death under a speeding truck in the early hours Monday in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district, police said. They were returning home after allegedly defecating in the open when the incident took place near Rajasthan roadways bus stand in Asnawar town of Jhalawar district, they said. The women -- Ganjabai (61) of Pachore village in Madhya Pradesh and Ganeshibai (60) of nearby Asnawar bus stand, both from Gadiya Luhar tribal family -- died on the spot, said Asnawar police station Assistant Sub-Inspector Rajendra Meena. A case of negligent driving was registered against the truck driver who fled the spot after the mishap, he said, adding that the vehicle bearing a Haryana registration number was seized. The bodies were handed over to the family members after post-mortem, the ASI said, adding that efforts are underway to nab the truck driver.
Madhya Pradesh High Court gets three new judges
The Madhya Pradesh High Court Monday got three new judges, taking their total number to 35. Chief Justice S K Seth administered the oath of office to the new judges justices Vishnu Pratap Singh Chauhan, Rajeev Kumar Shrivastava and Shailendra Shukla at a ceremony here. With their induction, the number of judges in the MP High Court goes up to 35. The court has a sanctioned strength of 53, which includes the chief justice. The new judges have made it to the high court from the higher judicial services of district courts.
CBI feud turns murkier; officer drags names of minister, top officials
The internecine feud in the CBI turned murkier Monday with a senior officer M K Sinha dragging the names of NSA Ajit Doval, union minister Haribhai Parthibhai Chaudhary and CVC K V Chowdhury over alleged attempts to interfere in the probe against CBI Special Director Rakesh Asthana, who has been divested of his duties and sent on leave along with his boss. K V Chowdhury did not respond to queries when his reaction was sought while Doval, the National Security Advisor, was not immediately available for comments. An official in the minister's office said he was not aware of the matter. Sinha, who was probing the FIR against Asthana, the CBI's number 2, and important cases like the PNB scam involving Nirav Modi, made a litany of sensational allegations in his petition before the Supreme Court that sought urgent hearing for quashing his transfer to Nagpur. Advocate Sunil Fernandes, appearing for Sinha, informed a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi that his client has ..
45-year-old held at Delhi airport for smuggling forex worth Rs 96 lakh
Customs officials have arrested a 45-year-old man at the Delhi airport for allegedly trying to smuggle into the country foreign currency worth nearly Rs 96 lakh, an official statement said on Monday. The accused was intercepted on Saturday when he was proceeding to board a flight to Dubai, it said. "A detailed baggage and personal search of the passenger resulted in the recovery of USD 58,400 and Euro 65,100 equivalent to Rs 96.2 lakh which the passenger had concealed in the falls of sarees (being carried by him)," the customs department said in the statement. The forex has been seized and the accused arrested, it said. The accused had smuggled foreign currency amounting to Rs 80 lakh during his past two visits adopting the same modus operandi, it said.
HC quashes order stopping two annual increments of employee for consuming, possessing tobacco
The Allahabad High Court quashed an order of the Mahoba administration which stopped two annual increments of an employee for possessing and consuming tobacco in office premises. Justice Yashwant Varma passed the order, allowing the writ petition filed by Mithilesh Kumar Tiwari. The court was of the view that permanently stopping the two increments was a major punishment as provided under the UP Government Servants(Discipline and Apple) Rule 1999 and thus, the petitioner was required to be given an opportunity of show cause against it. But in the present case, the petitioner was awarded the impugned punishment merely by stating that he was found to be in possession of excessive quantity of the substance in question, it added. Quashing the punishment, the court said it was mandatory on part of the respondent authority to follow rules but in the present case neither any charge-sheet was served upon the petitioner nor were any witness examined. However, the bench made it clear that the ..
HC asks CBI to proceed with probe in rape case against Daati Maharaj, file report before trial court
The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the CBI to proceed with its further investigation into the rape allegation against self-styled preacher Daati Maharaj and file its report before a trial court here. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao, which had earlier asked the agency to submit the inquiry report to it, clarified that it should be filed before the magistrate who is dealing with the matter. The court's clarification on filing of report came after the preacher's counsel submitted that as per the CrPC, the investigation/inquiry report has to be filed before the trial court and not the high court. "We deem it appropriate to direct the CBI to proceed with the inquiry and file the report before the magistrate who shall proceed in accordance with the law," the bench said. The high court disposed of the plea of the alleged victim, filed through advocate Pradeep Tiwari, seeking a CBI investigation into the matter and arrest of the accused. It also asked the ...
Dubai court orders Christian Michel's extradition in VVIP choppers case: Report
A Dubai court on Monday ordered the extradition of British national and alleged middleman Christian Michel, who is wanted by Indian investigative agencies in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal case, according to a media report. Michel, 54, is currently behind bars in Dubai since he was arrested and sent into custody pending the legal and judicial procedure in the UAE. The Court of Cassation upheld on Monday a lower court order which ruled that Michel could be extradited, dismissing appeals filed by his defence lawyers, the Khaleej Times reported. Judge Abdelaziz Al Zarouni, who headed a bench, pronounced the decision in the presence of member judges Musabeh Thaaloub, Mostafa Al Shinawi, Mahmoud Sultan and another judge, the paper said. On Monday, Michel's lawyer Abdul Moneim submitted documents showing that courts in Switzerland and Italy had ruled not to extradite his client. "The judicial authorities there concluded there was no criminal element in the case," the ..
Two criminals arrested after gun battle in Ghaziabad
Police arrested two criminals after an overnight gun battle in Ghaziabad.